Using OneNote for project management

Managing projects can be complicated. But you can use Microsoft OneNote as an effective tool for taking notes, tracking meetings, and streamlining all of the different projects you’re juggling. See how OneNote can simplify your management flow and your work life.

Use OneNote for unlimited organizational possibilities

OneNote makes it easy for you to stay organized: name your sections by categories such as Status Reports, Contacts, and Project Notes, to name just a few categories you might need when managing complex projects.

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The versatility of a OneNote notebook means that you can create new tabs for sections, then add as many pages as you can. No matter how long your meetings run, you’ll have enough space for everything you need.

OneNote becomes a repository for any supplemental materials you might need for your project. No matter what content you’re pulling from, you can insert photos, links, screen snippets, and message recordings into your pages.

Taking meeting minutes is easier than ever

OneNote is available for desktops and mobile devices alike, but its handwriting features truly shine on a tablet such as a Surface. With the Surface Slim Pen 2 that’s built into Surface devices, you can hand-write notes directly onto the touchscreen, then digitize them. And as you take down meeting notes, keep up with whoever’s talking and write across a nearly infinite number of digital pages.

Create checklists to keep track of your project’s progress

The Tags section in the Home menu is one of the most useful parts of OneNote. Use this to create action items, assign tasks to collaborators, or bring up points to be answered.

Collaborate across Microsoft 365 apps

As part of the Microsoft 365 suite, OneNote is capable of syncing with apps such as Teams and Outlook.

If you’re adding the agenda of an upcoming Teams meeting, you can embed past or upcoming meeting details from Outlook into your OneNote page. In the Home menu, click Meeting Details on the right side of the menu. Upcoming meetings linked to your Microsoft 365 account will appear in a dropdown menu. Select a meeting and its information will be inserted into your OneNote page: meeting dates, participants, and a Teams link will populate the page.

You can easily email your OneNote page from the Home menu via the Email Page button. Here, a preformatted email template will appear that will cover everything from meeting information to action items that you’ll cover during said meeting.

Whether you’re sending along agenda notes, invitations to future meetings, or project resources, sending OneNote pages to colleagues via Outlook or the Microsoft Cloud is a cinch. The Email Page button is the easiest, but you can export OneNote notebooks as well.

Use OneNote templates

Don’t spend time formatting your notes. OneNote comes with dozens of great templates designed specifically for various functions, including project management and meeting agendas. Under the Insert menu, click on Page Templates and a panel will open on the right showing templates based on category. Business templates feature designs for meeting notes—all ranging from the simplest brainstorming sessions to formal conference-style meetings, as well as Project Overview templates to oversee all aspects of your project. And if these don’t suit your needs, you can always customize OneNote templates to use and reuse.

OneNote is a powerful tool whose uses can extend to all aspects of your business needs. For more tips on how to stay organized, both at work and in your personal life, visit Microsoft 365.